Our mission is to strive to enhance the quailty of life of Lincoln County through partnerships with the community and in accordance with constitutional rights to enforce laws, preserve the peace, reduce fear, and provide for a safe environment.

Criminal Investigations

The Criminal Investigations Division is staffed by five commissioned officers and one civilian employee. They are responsible for handling over 600 cases each year.

CID detectives are active participants in the St. Louis Metropolitan Major Case Squad. They are called upon about twice a year to assist other agencies with investigating serious crimes. These crimes are usually homicides and kidnappings. In return for the loan of our officers we too can and have requested the help of the Major Case Squad in the event that we have a serious crime to investigate.

The Crime Scene Technicians are also under the command of the CID. This unit is responsible for identifying, photographing and collecting evidence at crime scenes. Some evidence requires additional processing once it is brought back to the Sheriff’s Office. The technicians have several pieces of lab equipment at their disposal to handle these special items. The Crime Scene Technicians are also responsible for property and evidence control. When evidence is collected by any officer it must be turned into them to be cataloged and placed into a secure vault for safekeeping.

Captain Mike Merkel is commander of the Criminal Investigations Division. He can be contacted at MMerkel@lcsomo.com or use the “Contact Us” tab at the top of the page.

History of LCSO

Lincoln County was founded on December 14, 1818 and named for Benjamin Lincoln, a Major General during the American Revolutionary War. Lincoln County is one of 114 counties in the state of Missouri. Lincoln County has approximately 630 square miles of land and 10 square miles of water. We are bordered by Pike County to the north, St. Charles County to the southeast, Warren County to the southwest, Montgomery County to the west and our eastern border is the Mississippi River. Continue Reading >